What is a Credit Score?

Content prepared by Towne Mortgage of the Carolinas for Coldwell Banker Howard Perry and Walston

While most people know what a credit score is, many do not fully understand what factors can impact their scores.

What is a credit score?

Credit scores reflect your payment patterns and credit history over time, and almost all major lenders use them to determine how likely you are to pay back a loan.

In the eyes of a lender, a high credit score indicates you are reliable, while a lower credit score means you’re less likely to make payments on time, or even pay back your loan at all. Your score will also help a lender determine the types of loan available to you and the interest rate that you will pay to borrow money.

“Today’s home buyers are impacted more than ever by their credit score,” said Doug Anderson, Lending Manager with Towne Mortgage of the Carolinas. “A credit score can affect their down payment, their interest rate, and their mortgage insurance payment; even homeowner’s insurance can be affected by a credit score.”

What is a good credit score?

A perfect credit score is 850; however, any credit score above 760 is considered to be good.

How do you establish credit?

There are five important factors when establishing credit:

Payment history
Your bill paying history is the most important factor on your credit score as it shows that you manage your money well and are likely to be a responsible borrower.

Be sure to pay all your bills on time. If you think you might be late on a payment, call your lender promptly, to determine if you may work something out to avoid penalty.

Credit utilization
Credit utilization is the amount of money you spend compared to your available credit. For example, if your credit card has a limit of $1,000 each month and you only spend $200 each month, your credit utilization is 20 percent. Do your best to keep your credit utilization ratio under 30 percent to avoid drops in your credit score.

Length of credit history
The length of time your credit accounts have been open and how often you’ve used those accounts determines your credit history. An account with a longstanding history will help you to establish credit and demonstrate that you are a responsible borrower.

New credit
Lenders pay close attention to your credit activities and may lose confidence in your financial stability if you open too many credit accounts at the same time. Such concerns can lead credit-reporting agencies to issue you a lower credit score.

Credit mix
Credit mix is the variety of debt that you have taken out such as installment credit like car loans and student loans, or revolving credit like credit cards or retail accounts. This variety may indicate that the borrower can handle all different types of credit.

What is my credit score?

Interested to find out more about your credit score? You are entitled to order a free copy of your credit report from each of the major credit reporting agencies—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion—through AnnualCreditReport.com every 12 months. AnnualCreditReport.com is the only website that is government authorized to provide you with free copies of your score.

Pleased with your credit score? Congratulations, keep up the good financial work to continue increasing your credit score.

Surprised to find a negative report and low credit score? Unfortunately, negative information on your credit report remains for a long time. Here’s the rundown:
– Late payments: 7 years from the late payment date
– Foreclosures: 7 years
– Short sales: 7 years
– Repossessions: 7 years
– Judgments: 7 years if the judgment has been paid; potentially longer if unpaid
– Tax liens: 7 years after they are paid
– Collection accounts: 7 years and 180 days from the date of delinquency on the original debt
– Bankruptcies: 10 years from the filing date; 7 years for Chapter 13 cases

How can I better my credit score?

Yes, it may take awhile, but you can fix these blemishes over time. Tips that will help you rebuild your credit include:

Check your credit report for mistakes
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, credit-reporting companies are obligated to fix any mistakes on your report.

To report a mistake, you must submit any inaccuracies in writing to each credit bureau. You’ll need to clearly identify the issue in writing, and supply documents that support your position.

Make all payments on time
Your payment history is the basis for the majority of your credit score making it critical that you pay all bills in a timely fashion to prove your reliability to lenders.

Create positive credit history
Bad credit history may cause you to be denied some forms of credit, but it is possible to open a new form of credit that could help build your score.

One option to consider includes asking a family member or close friend to co-sign for a credit card or car loan. You can also apply for a secured credit card, which will require you to put up cash collateral to serve as security for your line of credit.

Content prepared by Towne Mortgage of the Carolinas for Coldwell Banker Howard Perry and Walston